Broncos & NFL

Broncos' quarterbacks alternating OTA starts

Siemian gets call Tuesday in first of 10 sessions

Quarterback Trevor Siemian calls a play during the first day of OTAs Tuesday at UCHealth Training Center in Englewood (Joe Amon / The Denver Post)

ENGLEWOOD — Emmanuel Sanders knows the routine, and he knows when the cameras turn on and the questions fly that one — if not two or three — will be about the Broncos' two young quarterbacks and their offseason competition.

Sick of it? Just used to it.

"I've been dealing with it for the last few years," he said with a smile.

And he's not the only one.

Although the Broncos feature a new coaching staff, a new system and a new attitude this year after failing to make the postseason for the first time since 2010, their offseason is a bit like "Groundhog Day."

Another year, another competition between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch to determine the starter.

Tuesday all but officially kicked off Round 2 of the battle, as the Broncos took to the field for their first of 10 days of organized team activities, or OTAs. As planned by coach Vance Joseph, Siemian led the first offensive unit in 11-on-11 drills. Today, Lynch will do the same, and the two will alternate to ensure reps are shared equally at five days apiece.

"I mean, that's kind of normal to me," Siemian said. "I think it was something like that last OTAs and last camp. You just make the most of your reps. You only get so many and we don't have a whole lot of time to practice out here in the grand scheme of things, so whatever group you're with, you have to make the most of your reps."

He has been here before. He knows how this works.

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But unlike in 2016, when Siemian arrived as a contender after a year of watching Peyton Manning run coach Gary Kubiak's offense, Siemian and Lynch both arrive to a new scheme, built by offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. The changes are significant and noticeable, although the implementation is still in the early phase.

McCoy's system will be fluid depending on the Broncos' quarterback and their opponent each week, but it resembles more of the offense they ran in 2012, when McCoy was coordinator.

"It's different all across the board," Siemian said. "The run game, dropbacks, protections — it's totally different. We're all getting used to it, but I think a lot of guys are excited about what we're doing. And some guys have experience coming from a few years back, so that's always good, too. At the end of the day, it's 11-on-11, there's a lot of carryover, but it's pretty different from what we were doing."

Tuesday, the pair operated more in a shotgun formation, an expected feature of McCoy's offense and one Siemian said is preferred by most quarterbacks.

"Five yards back, catch the ball and see what's going on," he said. "There are certainly benefits to being under center: the run game, the play-action pass, keepers, all those kinds of things. Selfishly, though, I think any quarterback you talk to they will say they want to be in the gun."

Count Lynch among them. The second-year quarterback operated in the gun in Memphis' spread offense and endured a trying transition to under center last season.

But this year, his comfort extends beyond the scheme. He may be on to his second playbook and working with his second coaching staff in two seasons, but the NFL learning curve has leveled.

"Last year I kind of came in knowing I was going to have a little bit of a setback because of (Mark Sanchez's) experience in the league and Trevor only had one year under his belt, but that rookie year is a big year," Lynch said. "You learn everything, you go through everything. So that second year, you come back and you're more comfortable with everybody. For me, every day was something new I had to figure out, whereas this year I can kind of relax a little bit and just go out there and have fun."

Lynch said he's thinking less and playing more, and the first part will factor heavily into the quarterback grading process. The criteria, as spelled out by Joseph, includes all the quarterback must-haves, with an emphasis skewed more toward the intangibles.

But it was only Day 1 of a lengthy competition — a familiar competition. The race just began, but the focus, according to all involved, is not the finish line but what's beyond it.

"The big thing now, especially this time of year, is learning the scheme," Siemian said. "Luckily in Phase 3, we get to put it to grass and get some live reps. For me right now, that's the most important thing. But yeah, it's just another year. Hopefully I can be better than I was last year, and I think I can be. ... If I get worse this year coming up, I probably won't be around very long."

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